WTF is happening?
WTF is happening is the logical outcome of electing Donald Trump president. He does not have the temperament or attention span for politics, and he's surrounded by sycophants and Svengalis who don't, either. He is a man who does not exist when he is not viewing his own reflection, whose self-worth is measured in retweets and applause; when the only people retweeting and applauding him are his corner-case dead-enders he will amplify the sentiments that his corner-case dead-enders adore. The people that disapprove of Trump are not members of "the real America" so their opinions do not matter. That the population of "the real America" is dwindling is not a fact Trump is interested in learning.Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to great show
My guess is that his thought process went something like this. 2. This must mean the telephone, because that's the technological way that I understand, and I understand everything. 3. I am super important. 4. Ergo, the government must have been spying on me. 5. I'm the most important person in the government. 6. Before I was here, the person in this same office was Obama. 7. Ergo, it was Obama's decision to do this. 8. QED (read: TO TWITTER).1. The government is spying on people in some technological way that at first blush I don't understand.
That's giving him a lot of credit, I think some guy on Breitbart or Fox put the idea in his head. Edit: jonnyfive Oh yeah, it's in this very article, I just hadn't read far enough into the CNN piece yet, but check it: That story infuriated him, the official said. The quality of writing is much better than I think is typical of a CNN article, they're really having a go at POTUS. And a large hunk of the country still doesn't think anything's particularly odd about the set DJ Trump's spinning... hmm. I'm kinda worried. I kid around a lot on here, but guys, we're in some deep anti-intellectual doodoo. I mean, it's not like you can really take these quotes out of context. Unless Trump's tweets aren't actually written by Trump, and that's too grand of a conspiracy theory to merit consideration. Sooner or later, the people hacking into his unsecured personal device are going to get careless, and then things are really going to heat up. I don't think it'll be too long now.The official pointed to a story on the conservative website Breitbart News that was circulating in the West Wing, which followed up on comments from radio talk show Mark Levin claiming Obama worked to undermine Trump's presidential campaign and his administration, including various investigations on Russia and possible ties between Russians and Trump associates.
I mean, this is true, but I think we have to maintain some perspective. This isn't actually a new phenomenon, and I'm not convinced that it's actually worse now that at any other point in our history. Communication allows us to see it more, and there are certainly some cultural shifts that support being blind and selfish. But Trump's approval ratings show that the vast majority of people don't agree with him. Trump defenders remain defensive, which to me is further proof that they're not the mainstream, and they know it. They're going to lash out, just as Trump does, sure. And I think it's important for the rest of us to maintain vigilance, and not to allow this to be the new normal. We've been too long without a little chaos in our lives, and it's made us weak.we're in some deep anti-intellectual doodoo
That's what I thought too, but the statistics are sobering. 43% of people in this country can overlook Trump's behavior? Forget all of the arguments centered around policy, the president of this country should be held to a reasonably high standard of etiquette and level-headedness in his public affairs. My objection might be dismissed as ad hominem under other circumstances, but this is the one man "representing" all of us in the international community. This isn't how I conduct myself. It's not a partisan issue, obviously. Still, the GOP and ~43% of people have piggybacked on Trump for much too long, and it's got me seriously considering leaving the country before 2020. I'm thankful that I have the option, for now. I agree. "Never knew what I had until it was taken away", yadda-yadda. It has been inspiring to see a lot of people come out of the woodwork and voice their concerns. All the protests, grassroots journalism, and self-critical introspection is refreshing. I just hope it isn't too little too late. And once Trump is gone, we're not done. We need to understand how 43% of the country thinks the material coming straight from the horse's mouth is acceptable. But I'm scared. Not so much of Trump, of the populace that elected him.But Trump's approval ratings show that the vast majority of people don't agree with him.
We've been too long without a little chaos in our lives, and it's made us weak.
I share the fear, don't get me wrong. But again, I think it's dangerous to assume this is new. These people didn't suddenly lose IQ points when Trump began running (even though it may seem that they did). The question isn't how many people are this ignorant, it's how many fewer are this ignorant compared to a decade or a generation ago.
Probably several thousand people, many of whom I would consider more than just a bit competent. Maybe some of them are even a bit too competent. Edit: Some of my friends say 4, but I'm not so sure. Do I want to know?
Just the conviction that they could be 4-handedly initiating the rapid downfall of the only known sentient life in the universe.